1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to recording medium management devices for managing a recording medium with cluster units, each of which comprises a plurality of sectors, and digital cameras incorporating the recording medium management device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, when data recording/playback devices such as digital cameras record image file data, etc. on recording media including memory cards, the number of sectors providing one cluster, i.e., cluster size is written in the region referred to as PBR (Partition Boot Record) of the recording medium, and the recording medium is managed with use of the two recording units of the cluster and the sector. The cluster size is set to the power of 2 of the number of sectors.
For the recording medium, the image file data and the like are arranged for the cluster units. Even though the data has 1 byte, one cluster is used for the record of the data. Accordingly, as the cluster size becomes larger, more space is wasted. However, as the cluster size becomes larger, one data file can be recorded with less number of clusters, whereby access speed becomes high.
Accordingly, the cluster size is approximately inversely proportional to the access speed. The larger cluster size makes it possible to realize high-speed access. This wastes, however, more space in recording a small sized file. Conversely, whereas the smaller cluster size decreases wasted space, the access speed is reduced.
However, with the recording/playback devices of portable type such as digital cameras, because the recording medium is formatted for a predetermined cluster size corresponding to the capacity of the recording medium, there arises the problem of not considering the user's request, in the case where the user gives greater priority to high speed in access than recordable capacity of the recording medium, or conversely the user gives greater priority to recordable capacity of the recording medium than high speed in access.